Flying circuits at home. For Free.

[Mutley Eugenius]

I thought I'd give you a technique which I have been using for my flying, and my instructor thought it was brilliant. Instead of just chair flying, which I was doing, I decided to go one better. I get on my bike and ride around the block. The street outside my house is the runway, and the block is the circuit pattern. So by just riding the bike I am using my normal balance skills, feet and left hand riding, and on the way I literally say out loud all of the procedural steps all the way around the circuit using my right hand to go through the motions of the steps. I think some people think I'm nuts but now, because they see me talking to myself and waving my hand around the time, but by now some of them know what I'm doing.

 

Nevertheless, it's a great trick, it takes about the same time to ride around the block as it does to fly a complete circuit, so you get all your timing and pacing in sync, and it really tests your ability to remember all your procedure points. It's a very recommendable technique.

 

My instructor thought it was fantastic.

 

 

[Soleair]

Mutley, you genius!

 

Bruce

 

 

[aj_richo]

I do the same sitting on my ride-on lawnmower, I cop a bit of stick for some of the mowing patterns though.. especially the circling glide approaches

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

Fascinating, I can just imagine what your backyard must look like. Luckily, most pilots don't have to do complete coverage of the aerodrome.

 

Here's a thought, maybe you should practice SAR patterns, and apply as a volunteer FIRESCAN or BIRDOG pilot! At least you'd get all the lawn done!

 

 

[turboplanner]

Great idea! We forget how hard it was to come up to speed, especially at a boiling cauldron like Moorabbin

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Mutley, you can practice your radio calls on your flight sim when its too wet to go outside

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

Yep! I'm always talking to myself anyway - it's the only way I can be assured of intelligent conversation.

 

And by the way - flight sims are fantastic for instrument nav practice to get from A to B via as many points as you want, and they can really build up your skills for the reality of passing all your tests. Just exit the game as soon as you get on final - there isn't a home simulator made today that is any good for landing practice unfortunately, the skill for a real landing is not something you can get from a sim. Those programs never get the nose to horizon and peripheral vison right,

 

My bike does awesome landings though - I put a plywood jump outside my house to simulate the final jolt. It's awesome.

 

 

[facthunter]

Correction. With the real good sims you just get into the plane and fly it straight off. You don't get a perfect seat of the pants input but the whole deal is pretty good for realism. Nev

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

Yeah, but that would have to be one real good sim! I mean 3D vision, motion-base & everything.

 

I was in one of those for military Huey helicopters. It was so real, the coily hand-held mic cable was jiggling from the vibrations of the turbulence. They tilt the whole cabin backwards, while tilting the cockpit view downward, to give you the feeling of acceleration as you give it forward stick. Now that's real!

 

But that's serious megabucks simulators - not Microsoft FSX at home.

 

 

[facthunter]

That's the deal. The "Cabin" sits on hydraulics and really moves around to simulate accelerations. Very costly items. Have a go in one if you get the opportunity. Nev

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

I decided to build one at home once, the whole thing - cabin, motion base, surround sound, 3d screens, the whole bit.

 

Within about 10 minutes I had decided not to.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Correction. With the real good sims you just get into the plane and fly it straight off. You don't get a perfect seat of the pants input but the whole deal is pretty good for realism. Nev

Where his idea is good, is that you can be riding along on the bike and your concentration will wander on to other things, and then bang! you're there and you have to do something.

 

 

[facthunter]

Sounds like you could be mortally wounded. Nev

 

 

[facthunter]

Surprise. Surprise. Nev

 

 

[kgwilson]

This idea was used in WWII with a full wing of Pilot bike riders so they could get used to close formations and radio procedures etc.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Some crazy training ideas developed out of the war. The Link Trainer was cheap but challenging.

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

That's fascinating, about WWII.

 

The bike technique is awesome, because if the block is crowded, as mine sometimes is, there are things that distract you that you have to handle, be aware of, and get back to your routine. You have to look left, center, right on every turn, and you can 'follow red Toyota on early downwind', fit into the traffic pattern and everything. I'v even had to go-around, because that kid from next door was standing in the middle of the rroad.

 

 

[kasper]

Just limit your training on bike circuits to 3-axis pilot training ... us weight shift chaps and chapesses would not appreciate the result of mimicing the turn left on the bike = push bar right and lean left ... bandaids and benadine anyone ;-)

 

 

[facthunter]

You think weight shift is a bit counter-intuitive? Nev

 

 

[kasper]

You think weight shift is a bit counter-intuitive? Nev

Nope. Just different and IF you push the handlebars of the bike right as you lean left you are going to meet the pavement.

I fly weightshift, 3 axis, 2 axis and have been known to step out of perfectly servicable aircraft with a parachute and jump of hills with a hanglider - if is flies I will probably get into it - UNLESS its a helicopter - those things are just plain nasty ;-)

 

BUT there is a general line of thought with anacdotal support that when you fly multiple systems the differences issues come up at the worst time - in an emergency - where for whatever reason you can revert to your primary learning. eg need to flare in a 3 axis is pull back, need to flear in weightshift its push out, need to turn left on ground - three axis is push left foot, on weight shift its push right foot. And with flying its more likely than not to come up because for 'safety' we learn patterns and practice procedures, not that this is wrong or bad just a cfact to be taken into account.

 

And after all it only appears counter intuative IF you started training on the other side ... hang glider and weightshift pilots who started out on these control systems think 3 axis is counter intuative.

 

 

[Mutley Eugenius]

I think we've digressed.

 

 

[facthunter]

I'm sure what you say is true. I've always worried about the natural panic reaction when you do things somewhat instinctively. Like a poorly trained 3 axis response to wing drop and nose going down at the stall with aileron and back stick . Just what you don't want. Nev

 

 

[facthunter]

It follows from the pushbike example. Nev

 

 

[kasper]

Yep, Flexi students use the good old mark 1 broom/mop handle to practice at home. Just a light hearted post to say don't think of the pushbike handles as the control bar or else

 

 

[kasper]

Oh and ultraight simulation training from the land of it rains all the time and when not has 500ft clouds everywhere (UK):

 

3axis - full training simulator - Thruster - no motion bumps etc but its really alighted to actual flight responses in all phases of flight

 

http://www.bumble-bee.demon.co.uk/SaxonMicro_sim.htm

 

Weightshift - joint effort from UK manufacture and the BMAA - and its really a good simulation, great fun to fly

 

http://www.clearprop.co.uk/bmaa-flying-show-2013/

 

second photo on the page as you scroll down

 

Joan built the first one and Terry and co built the second one - none of these spent a fortune for the gear they ended up with